Ivory stockpile to be publicly destroyed as Obama seeks to end illegal trade | The Guardian

Ivory stockpile to be publicly destroyed as Obama seeks to end illegal trade | Environment | The Guardian.

This above link is a very informative article by The Guardian about the Ivory problem in this world. Yes, the world. And it is everyone’s problem. On Thursday this week, the United States will take a step forward by burning it’s stockpile with cameras rolling, in hopes that the rest of the world is watching. Hello, China? Everyone is looking at you.

I shutter at the thought that elephants will become extinct in my lifetime, and I am saddened by the thought that future generations will be robbed of their presence. Their extinction will be 100% the fault of mankind, due to poaching and loss of habitat.  Picture a large bull elephant, he’s approximately 45 years old, and standing 15ft high with tusks so long they almost touch the ground. Now picture him laying on the ground with his face carved away. This is what has been repeatedly found by rangers and such, from large bulls to smaller and younger elephants, dead. Tusks gone. Killed for one reason, and one reason only. Ivory.

Despite their size compared to man, they are defenseless. They are killed with guns, arrows and even cyanide poisoning. There are not enough Rangers, not enough resources, and not enough humans to stop the crisis. Not enough punishment for those found guilty. Elephants mourn their dead, and the poachers know it. They can kill one, then come back and kill an entire family that is simply there to do what we as human beings do when we are faced with the death of a family member.

Greed drives a lot of things. It’s so powerful it can drive the extinction of our planet earth’s largest mammal, and one of the smartest. Since the ivory ban, it’s only become more in demand. Don’t fuel that demand. Remember this – ivory only comes from one place: elephants.  Are your trinkets worth it?

Why Elephants?

When I was 9 years old my grandmother took me garage sale shopping with her and gave me $5.00 to spend on anything I wanted, because she was of course, the best grandmother ever. I spotted a little ceramic life-like elephant figurine and bought it in a flash. As I grew up I cherished that figurine, set it on every dresser everywhere I lived, dusted it and polished it, and somehow bonded with the elephant species in general. It was also the beginning of my “elephant collection” of elephant figurines, and what would later become my collection of “all things elephants” which includes anything from elephants jewelry to elephant furniture to an elephant shaped teapot.

When I was 14 my father and step mother took me and my little sisters to Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, which is an African themed amusement park. One of the popular children’s attraction was the elephant rides. As we stood in line I stared at the elephant as she walked in circles with children on her back, and even at my young age I noticed a look of misery and felt so very sorry for her. I stepped out of line, no longer interested in the ride. I never again went to another zoo or circus.

Fast forward to the early 2000’s…as I’m searching through dozens of web hosting companies for my new real estate website business, I came across a Canadian based company named “Elehost”. After checking them out it was an easy decision to give them my business. Their web hosting company website had a tab in their menu called Why Elephants? which I was intrigued enough to click on. I would dare to say it was life changing, as it led me to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and more important, unlocked and renewed my passion for and obsession with elephants.

“They have all the emotions of us humans – all the good traits and few of the bad. “
~Dame Daphne Sheldrick

I’ve done a fair amount of research on elephants, and also the people that advocate for them and help in some way whether it’s large or small. Once I started looking, I mean really looking, I also exposed myself to the horrors of poaching elephants for ivory in Africa and the abuse and unfair treatment of circus elephants. While I cannot personally and physically stop the abuses, I do have a voice. We all do.